Rufus – Once You Get Started
Rufus and Chaka Khan.
Listen/Download – Rufus – Once You Get Started
Greetings all.
I hope that those of you in the path of the hurricane survived.
Up here it was a bust, which is a good thing since I didn’t fancy picking the contents of the back porch out of the surrounding trees and the neighbor’s yard.
We just got some heavy rain, a little bit of wind and not much else.
Fortunately, as is often forecast but rarely comes to fruition, the storm pushed the heat wave out of the way and ushered in some nice weather for my birthday.
Things are getting back to (post-summer) normal around here, with school coming back into the picture, and the possibility of some DJ work on the horizon (which is always a groovy thing).
I have recently scored a couple of very nice 45s, so before long I predict you will either be seeing them here on the blog, or hearing them in some bar or other, spun fresh on the decks.
The tune I bring you today is a blast from my past, in that I remember very clearly when this particular song came blaring from the speakers of my AM radio.
The first time I heard Rufus was in 1973, via their first big hit (given to them by no less a light than the mighty Stevie Wonder) ‘Tell Me Something Good’.
I have a clear recollection of seeing Rufus – if memory serves as part of someone’s TV special, maybe Bob Hope?? – performing the song live from Central Park (I think, it’s been 37 years…) and my parents reacting negatively to Chaka Khan’s orgasmic vocalisations in the chorus of the song.
I, of course, thought it was a riot.
Anyway, that song, and today’s selection fall right around the time that the band founded as Ask Rufus, then rechristened Rufus, was morphing into Rufus featuring Chaka Khan.
The Chicago-area band, which got its start with ex-members of the American Breed recorded an unreleased album for Epic with vocalist Paulette McWilliams, before Chaka Khan (aka Yvette Williams) who had sung with a post-Baby Huey version of the Babysitters, joined the group.
‘Once You Get Started’, from the 1974 ‘Rufusized’ LP was a Top 40 hit in the Spring of 1975.
It’s a great example of the kind of jazzy funk that was moving folks on the (just) pre-disco dance floors of the time.
I’d argue that ‘Once You Get Started’ is – like last week’s ‘Machine Gun’ by the Commodores – still firmly in the ‘funk’ camp, despite the presence of disco/fonk signifiers on its fringes. I have no doubt that were this dropped in a disco, during an otherwise disco set, that ‘Once You Get Started’ would pull the folks onto the dance floor, but I think this would have been as true in 1970 as in 1977 (even though it came out in 74/75, are you confused yet??).
I’m not even sure that this is an argument worth having, unless you’re a vinyl-sick record nerd, but since so many of us here (myself especially) fall into that category, we’re gonna have it.
Ultimately it’s probably immaterial, since good music is good music, and ‘Once You Get Started’ is good music.
Chaka would record with the band on and off into the early 80s before going solo and hitting the charts on her own in 1984 with her epic cover of Prince’s ‘I Feel For You’, which featured harmonica by none other than Stevie Wonder!
I hope you dig the track, and I’ll be back on Wednesday with something cool.
Peace
Larry
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Themocracy
Thanks for this one – I had forgotten what a good track it is. I remember dancing to this one…and yes it’s scary to think it was 35 years ago!
Happy Belated Birthday Larry.
I also had forgotten how good this was. Also check out “You Got the Love,” which I believe was the follow up to “Tell Me..” These were hits, why don’t I hear them on “oldies” radio?
A little late on the wish Lar… Happy BD! Thanks for this forgotten Rufus gem. Just when ya think you had everything out pops another goodie from you. Thanks and keep up the great blog(s)!
Mikelj